LAKELAND, Fla. – The Saint Leo women's basketball team won 68-65 in an overtime thriller on the road versus the Florida Southern Mocs in a Sunshine State Conference (SSC) contest on Saturday afternoon.
 
"What an amazing game", stated head coach Anthony Crocitto. Crocitto also said, "They [Florida Southern] did a good job, but our resilience was the key and we were tougher today. Jumoke had a double-double while Diaz scored key hoops throughout the game. We had huge contributions from Kyra and solid possessions from Shadia on defense. Along with big plays from Ana for the consecutive game and Mikaela hit a big shot and free throw to tie or give us the lead. 18 assists and only eight turnovers is a great ratio. We are playing well at the very best time of the season. I'm so proud of these ladies".
 
Both the Lions and Mocs started slow offensively off the tip. Florida Southern went on to hold Saint Leo scoreless for over three minutes midway through the opening frame. The Mocs lead got as high as 11. A three-pointer from sophomore Olivia Agunzo provided a spark to the Lions' offense as they were finally able to cut into the deficit. However, Florida Southern took an eight-point lead into the second quarter, 24-16.
 
Saint Leo flipped the script once the second quarter began. Junior Taydra Simpson drilled a three-pointer and junior Alanis Diaz scored a fast-break layup that provided to the Lions' offense. Later on, freshman Vanessa McManus hit a three-pointer of her own to tie the game at 27. McManus hit another three-pointer, while Junior Ana Astapenka made a crucial second-chance layup to put Saint Leo up three. Florida Southern rallied but Saint Leo took a 38-37 lead into halftime.
 
The Lions began the third quarter strong thanks to two made jumpers from graduate student Jumoke Adaramoye. After a three-pointer that put the Mocs back in the lead, neither team scored for nearly three minutes. Agunzo and Simpson ended the drought with back-to-back three-pointers for Saint Leo. Both sides would trade the lead throughout the third period, and Florida Southern ultimately took a two-point lead into the fourth, 53-51.
 
The fourth quarter was filled with defense. Both sides continued to trade the lead, with a jumper being scored by graduate student Kyra Stauble. Adaramoye and Diaz added field goals of their own that tied the game. The defense took over for the remaining 1:12 of the fourth, and the Lions had a chance to win at the end, but a three-pointer from Diaz fell short, and the game went to overtime.
 
Overtime was dominated by the Lions. Diaz, Adaramoye, and Agunzo all connected on key buckets, while the defense kept the Mocs scoreless for most of the period. Saint Leo grabbed seven defensive rebounds, while only allowing three Florida Southern points to cap off a late-season road victory.
 
Diaz led the way with 17 points while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out four assists. Adaramoye followed with a double-double of 16 points and 11 assists along with one block and three steals. McManus finished with 10 points, three rebounds, and a pair of assists.
 
As a team, the Lions shot 40.3 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, the Green and Gold converted 63.6 percent of its attempts.
 
Saint Leo returns to the court on Wednesday, February 26 as it travels to Boca Raton to take on the Lynn Fighting Knights in an SSC bout, starting at 5:30 p.m.